The New York Yankees won their second consecutive game against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. Having not lost a series to start the year, the Bombers host a 12–7 record, good for 2nd in the AL East, just behind the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees enjoyed a solid performance from Nestor Cortés, who took them 7.0 innings. Featuring plenty of run support and offensive production, this was an easy win for the Yankees, who broke it wide-open in the 7th inning after the Angels made a slight comeback, drawing within two.
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Good news for the Yankees:
Cortes had a solid day, despite giving up three earned runs, one of which occurred after he was pulled. Cortes tossed 94 pitches and 60 strikes, striking out seven batters, and finished with a 3.09 ERA. The bullpen performed well, stifling any Los Angeles comeback attempts. They combined for three innings of no-run baseball, which is precisely what the team needed as they look ahead to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
Offensively, the squad produced nine hits and 11 walks, striking out 10 times. Anthony Rizzo had a tremendous afternoon, recording three singles and two walks, elevating his batting average to .344 on the season with a .449 OBP. DJ LeMahieu contributed two runs, a hit, and an RBI, with Oswald Peraza getting in the action as well, producing a hit and two RBIs.
Jose Treviño smacked a bases-clearing double at the bottom of the 1st inning, driving in three runs, but the day belongs to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, one of the team’s more inconsistent players. IKF has had a tough start to the season but made two stellar grabs in centerfield and posted two RBIs, courtesy of a single at the bottom of the 7th inning. Altogether, this was a balanced performance from the Yankees, who hit with runners in scoring position and got out of a few jams in the pitching department.
Bad news for the Yankees:
There wasn’t much bad news from the win, but one tough offensive performance stood out. Oswaldo Cabrera struck out twice across four at-bats, lowering his average to .228 on the season with a .250 OBP. While he’s been solid defensively, Cabrera has yet to find his sea legs in the batter’s box, where he’s been a bit of a liability. The season is still young, and he has plenty of opportunities to bounce back.
The Yankees will take on the Blue Jays on Friday at 7:05 PM with Domingo German on the mound. Toronto has lost three of their last four games, so they will be looking to pick up a win. Luckily, German is coming off one of the best performances of his career, striking out an impressive 11 batters in his most recent performance against the Minnesota Twins last weekend.